Vitamin B12 in older Australians

The prevalence of low blood levels of the vitamins folate and B12 increase as people age and can lead to several potential poor health outcomes. Low folate can cause gastrointestinal tract disturbances and megaloblastic anaemia (reduced number of abnormally large red blood cells). Low vitamin B12 can also cause anaemia as well as neuropathy (nerve damage) with problems such as difficulties with walking, tingling of the hands and feet, and cognitive decline such as memory loss. We recently published data about a population-based group of 2901 older people in the Blue Mountains, aged 50 years and over, collected as part of the Blue Mountains Cohort Study with the Centre for Vision Research. Low serum vitamin B12 was found in 22.9% of participants and low serum folate in 2.3% of participants. The proportion of people with low serum vitamins increased with age, particularly amongst men

Seeing clearly with antioxidants

While the evidence pointing to the cause of AMD has been mixed, a few studies have explored the role of diets. A large randomised control trial1 that looked at people with the onset of AMD showed that high-dose vitamins C and E, zinc and beta-carotene supplementation may slow AMD progression in relatively advanced early AMD cases by up to 25 per cent. Recently, another study2 showed evidence that an above-median dietary intake of these same nutrients was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in AMD risk

Dietary fatty acids and age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness among older people. It is important to identify modifiable risk factors which could prevent or slow the progression of this chronic disease. Dietary fatty acid intakes have been investigated in epidemiological studies as it is plausible that individual lipids have properties which modulate cellular damage in the eye. This paper reviews epidemiological studies investigating links between fatty acids and AMD. Mixed evidence has related the sub-types of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids to AMD, but nearly all epidemiological studies have demonstrated some level of AMD protection from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (particularly long-chain fatty acids) and fish, with a tendency for a corresponding dampening effect with increased dietary omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Trends in legume consumption among ethnically diverse adults in a longitudinal cohort study in Australia

Abstract presented at the Experimental Biology 2015 conference, 28 March-1 April 2015, Boston, United States

Report on the consumpton of vegetables and fruit in NSW

Increasing vegetable and fruit consumption in the New South Wales population is a key public health priority. There is little dispute that high vegetable and fruit consumption confers significant health benefits. Epidemiological evidence indicates that increasing intakes of vegetables and fruit decreases the risk of major chronic diseases including cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, diverticulitis, cataracts, macular degeneration, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For optimal health benefits, the importance of consuming a variety of vegetables and fruit is stressed. It is also important that there appears to be a dose-response relationship between vegetable and fruit consumption and protection from ill health. Thus, important gains can be made by increasing consumption across all intake levels. It has been estimated, conservatively, that 3% of the total burden of disease in Australia is attributable to a low intake of vegetables and fruit. Expressed economically, the potential savings to the national health care system of increasing average vegetable consumption by only one serve per day is $24.4 million per year for colorectal, breast, lung, and prostate cancer alone

Dietary glycaemic index and glycaemic load among Australian children and adolescents

There are no published data regarding the overall dietary glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) of Australian children and adolescents. We therefore aim to describe the dietary GI and GL of participants of the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2007ANCNPAS), and to identify the main foods contributing to their GL. Children, aged 2–16 years, who provided two 24 h recalls in the 2007ANCNPAS were included. A final dataset of 4184 participants was analysed. GI of each food item was assigned using a previously published method. GL was calculated, and food groups contributing to the GL were described by age group and sex. The weighted mean dietary GI and GL of the participants were 54 (SD 5) and 136 (SD 44), respectively. Among the nutrients examined, Ca had the highest inverse relationship with GI (P,0·001), while percentage energy from starch was most positively associated with GI. The association between fibre density and GI was modest, and percentage energy from sugar had an inverse relationship with GI. Daily dietary GL contributed by energy-dense and/or nutrient-poor (EDNP) items in subjects aged 14–16 years was more than doubled that of subjects aged 2–3 years. To conclude, Australian children and adolescents were having a high-GI dietary pattern characterised by high-starchy food intake and low Ca intake. A significant proportion of their dietary GL was from EDNP foods. Efforts to reduce dietary GI and GL in children and adolescents should focus on energy-dense starchy foods. Key words: Dietary glycaemic index: Glycaemic index: Glycaemic load: Australian: Childre

Associations between nutrients and foot ulceration in diabetes : a systematic review

We reviewed the literature to evaluate potential associations between vitamins, nutrients, nutritional status or nutritional interventions and presence or healing of foot ulceration in diabetes. Embase, Medline, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published prior to September 2020. We assessed eligible studies for the association between nutritional status or interventions and foot ulcers. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Overall, there is a correlation between poor nutritional status and the presence of foot ulceration or a delay in healing. However, there is not enough data to reach conclusions about whether the rela-tionships are causal or only association. Further research is required to test whether any forms of nutritional supplementation improve foot ulcer healing

Prevalence and risks of fascioliasis among adult cohorts in Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai provinces-central Viet Nam

Fascioliasis (liver fluke disease) has raised significant public health concerns in the 15 regional provinces of Central Vietnam, accounting for 93% of the national incidence of the disease. No control measures to date have proven effective. Annual reports show increasing incidence of fascioliasis but they are incomplete. This cross-sectional study was conducted to identify the prevalence of fascioliasis and to describe its associated risks in three communes in Central Vietnam. 500 human blood samples were examined (ELISA); and a survey of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) was conducted for 600 randomly selected adults per commune. The findings suggest that overall seroprevalence was 7.75% (95% CI 6.54-9.16%). Among the infected cases, people aged from 18-59 years (85.6%) and farmers (68.0%) accounted for majority of infection. Less than half of participants in all three communes (24.6% - 46.0%) knew the causes of fascioliasis; and considerable proportions ate improperly boiled vegetables (28.2-33.8%), drank unboiled water (23.5-42.5%), and did not own a household toilet (14.2-20.5%). Relatively high prevalence and risks of fascioliasis were found in Central Vietnam, supporting the need for comprehensive intervention measures including selective treatment, health education, and multisectoral approaches to reduce the morbidity associated with fascioliasis and thus improve the health status of the people